


Demonology; The Great Enigma. (Act 1)

by Demonologi



Category: Demons - Fandom, Homestuck
Genre: AU, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Art, Character Death, Character building, Demonology, Demons, Derse (Homestuck), Drama, Gore, Illustrated, Minor Character Death, Moirails, Plot Twists, Prospit (Homestuck), Slow Burn, Trolls (Homestuck), Violence, Werewolves, act 1 out of 3, derse kids are all siblings, huge fic, plot heavy, prospit kids are all cousins, the only real relationship so far are moirails
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-02-06 12:47:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12817854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demonologi/pseuds/Demonologi
Summary: Jane Crocker & her little brother, John Crocker are excitedly awaiting the arrival of their cousins; Jade & Jake Harley. Yet their family holiday is ruined when a local carnival is attacked by an enraged archdeamon- Jack Noir. A demon who is notoriously known for turning human children into demons.Taken in by a community of Trolls lead by the infamous Signless & his two sons, Kankri & Karkat, Jane, John, Jake & Jade are welcomed none to kindly into their new lives as Demons. A species of Advanced Beasts that live secretly alongside humanity, along with Trolls, Cryptids, Vampires & Werewolves.They adjust to their new lives, making new friends & foes, accidentally becoming godparents to Werewolf Princes & surviving under the most ruthless, blood-thirsty Authority to ever shake the Earth.Act 1 is dedicated to world and character building; building up for when the plot kicks in Act 2 and 3. So in typical Homestuck fashion- These chapters will be boring and hard to get through; but believe me, you wont regret it. Not to mention that 2 & 3 wont make any sense without reading this Act!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so this is Chapter 1 of Act 1!  
> Act 1 is all about world building, character building, learning everything that you need to know for Act 2 & Act; 3, so hold in there! ^u^ Act 1 doesn't have any set relationships or main characters yet; but we promise that'll change in Act 2. 
> 
> Chapter 1;  
> We meet Jane and her little brother John, learn about the Crocker Household and excitedly await Jane and Jake's arrival!
> 
> -Author(s) Notes-  
> Ew okay so formatting on this website is awful! Regardless, after over three years of planning, scripting, re-drafting and roleplaying we're super excited to finally post DGE! We hope you enjoy reading all of these copious Chapters, Acts and  
> Epilogues!

**A young lady stands in her bedroom. It just so happens that today, the 16th of September, 2003, is the date scheduled for the highly anticipated WASHINGTON STATE FAIR and the ARRIVAL of her beloved COUSINS into the country. The young lady is expected to meet her cousins at the AIRPORT today. She is expecting her FATHER and her YOUNG BROTHER to come meet them as well, and together it will make a spiffing family reunion!**  
  
**Now then, what do you suppose the name of this young lady could be?**  
  
**Her name is JANE CROCKER. As was previously mentioned, she is poised to finally see her two cousins JAKE HARLEY and JADE HARLEY for the first time in MONTHS! This opportunity is SO rare because her cousins live in the MIDDLE OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN, and they are always busy helping out with their GRANDPARENTS SCIENTIFIC REASEARCH. And it doesn't hurt to say that her LITTLE BROTHER, JOHN CROCKER is as excited as a FIVE YEAR OLD BOY can get. It should come as no surprise to the READER that she enjoys BAKING, but she also adores reading DETECTIVE STORIES. She fancies herself a SKILLED PRANKSTRESS, if by no other measure than lineage. Though at times she feels it's tough to fill those shoes when she is SURROUNDED BY JOKERS, being her HILLARIOUS FATHER and her SNEAKY BROTHER. Seriously, the shenanigans perpetrated by her family makes her old school japes feel KIND OF PEDESTRIAN SOMETIMES, but oh well, she loves them all anyway. She loves SITUATION COMEDIES, whilst holding particular affection for MUSTACHIOED FUNNYMEN. You know, your FOXWORTHIES, your FUNKES, your SWANSONS, but not necessarily your GALLAGHERS PER SE, because you have to draw the fucking line somewhere. She is also pleased to contemplate FRIGHTENING FAUNA, though saddened by their regrettable FAKENESS ATTRIBUTE. She lives in WASHINGTON, with her FATHER and YOUNG BROTHER. Her mother used to live here FIVE YEARS AGO, until she PASSED AWAY in LABOR with her BROTHER. She tries not to blame the little guy for it.**  
  
**But none of that's on her mind now, because she is just so PSYCHED about this SPECIAL DATE. She and JAKE ENGLISH have been anticipating this day for WEEKS. As a matter of fact, she seems to have noticed a notification from the aforementioned budding ADVENTURER flashing across the screen of her trusty I-PHONE. No self-respecting sixteen year old goes without one! Well, maybe she is a little spoilt with all of her expensive tech... Now! JANE, stop dawdling at get on with the STORY that your so HYPED to be one of the MAIN CHARACTERS of! At least, for now. Its not like something DEVASTATING is going to happen to you in FIVE YEARS TIME or anything like that. You ARE the MAIN CHARACTER after all.**  
  
**What will you do?**  
**AUTHOR(S), exit NARRATION MODE and get on with the STORY. == > **  
  
Jane pushed herself of the side of her desk where she had been leaning, and flopped face-first onto her bed, burying her face in the soft sheets for a few drawn-out moments. Dad had instructed her to wake up early to cram in some extra revision, considering that these next few days would leave her little to none time to prep for her upcoming texts and exams. To give herself credit, Jane had awoke at 6:30 and sat down at her desk at 7:00, yet starred blankly at those overly confusing Food Tech sheet until she bored herself almost back to sleep. No poor human should have to spend three hours researching the differences between Spanish and Italian cuisine. How was she supposed to turn such boring and useless information into a full essay? Oh, how the education system made her chuckle sometimes; and by chuckle, she mean spend hours crying each night over homework stress.  
Propping herself up on her elbows, Jane reached over to her bed-side table to unplug her phone and check her notifications. She saw the aforementioned notification from Jake, yet noticed a few more from about thirty minutes now. Curiosity and excitement getting the better of her, she typed in her passcode and clicked into Jake's chat-head.  
  
_'Catching the ferry now! Its so rainy!'_  
_'At the port!'_  
_'20 mins until departure, you still asleep?'_  
  
Jane couldn't stop a fond smile at gif of a snoring anime character Jake sent her, followed a few minutes after with a link to an article about some nonsense celebrity dog, and then a screenshot of a Harry Potter meme. No doubt he was cruising forums in boredom as he and Jade awaited their plane to the mainland. She was honestly surprised he had internet connection at all there. Wasn't this ferry port / airport out in the middle of the Pacific? Well, maybe she was just being a little bit backwards in her thinking. This was the 21st century after all!  
  
_'5 mins until departure!'_  
And then Jane read the most recent message, sent bout a minute ago; reading:  
_'Getting on the plane now! Jade's as excited as pup in a playground! Will see you at 10, hopefully no delays : )'_  
  
Jane checked the time at the top of her phone screen, 8:30. It took them about 45 minutes to get to the airport, so it wouldn't be long until she, Dad and John would be leaving to pick them up. She adjusted the little device in her hand and began texting her reply message, knowing that Jake probably wouldn't see them until he was home and unpacked, yet the sentiment was still there.   
Typing at the speed of light, she hit 'send' and plopped her phone down on the pillow beside her, rolling onto her back to stretch lavishly. Catching sight of her insultingly bright pyjamas in her peripheral vision and deciding that now was probably the best time to go get changed; before they where tight on time. Although the idea of lounging around in her neon cyan pyjamas was an appealing one; if she just threw on so comfy bunny slippers. Or would that attire get her kicked from the airport itself? Deciding that clothes was the best way to go, the Prankstress in training heaved herself up of her bed, treating herself to a luxurious stretch and shuffling over to her drawers.  
  Jane decided to give up on revision for the moment, telling herself that there would be time later on when she could finish the sheets. She knew it was a lie, even as she stacked the papers tidily away in her folder. Jake didn’t have to do coursework, due to him living on an island in the middle of nowhere and she was eternally jealous. Although Jane guessed she would get pretty bored and lonely out there.  
  
She reached up to place the folder on her shelf next to her old bunny plush. ‘Lil Sebastian’ had been a gift for one of her birthdays years ago, from her dearly passed grandmother. It had seemed to start a tradition in their small family, after Johh got his Bubble Lizard plush too. She gave his ear an affection flick, in lieu of a cuddle. She was far too old to hug this old thing.   
Jane gave in quickly, pulling Little Sebastian down for a quick cuddle before replacing the teddy, and tried to not knock over the other trinkets lined up neatly on her shelf- a small paint it yourself money box in the shape of a cupcake that she had painted brightly in blue and yellow, and an old red tiara type thing that she’d picked up at a promotion day long ago. The objects surrounded by a few frames of her friends, a candle and a mug full of pens that where doing nothing but steadily collecting dust.   
Continuing on to her drawers, she threw her go-to outfit on quickly, not particularly caring what she wore. They were only going to the airport after all, not out for a fancy dinner. Although she did put some effort in making sure her band shirt matched her dark blue jeans, deciding to draw the line at matching socks however. She simply couldn't decide between cupcake socks or bumble bee ones!   
  
Walking down the stairs to find John and Dad, Jane’s eye was caught by the several picture frames lining the walls. After her mothers death, Dad had found all of the pictures of his wife possible to put in frames and put... all over the house really. Jane wasn't that young when her mother died, being 11, yet everyday it became harder and harder to recall memories of the times they had together. Apart from those days that really stood out to her; like family outings! She remembered her mother brushing his hair for her for school; pushing her on the tyre swing; her mum, her dad and her all playing a board game on a rainy night; her mum squeezing her hand and kissing her forehead in the hospital before she was rushed away in a flurry of nurses.  
  
  
Jane shook her head rather suddenly. She was getting silly, her mother wouldn’t want her to be so sad, especially on a happy day like today. No frowns allowed when they had guests over! Plus she had John, who wasn’t really a replacement, and a lot of the time Jane was having to look after him, especially as he... needed a lot more than Jane could really help him with. Jane still loved him though, and didn’t grudge him for the loss of their mother. At least Jane had spent some time with her mother before... Her passing. John spent fifteen minutes and a half with her, tucked up on her chest. Dad said that he never, ever forgot those fifteen and a half minutes. And he never would.   
  
"Jane?" At the sound of her dads voice, Jane spun around the face him, grinning and greeting him with a chipper 'Good morning!'. The smell of something absolutely delicious wafting out from the kitchen behind him. Roast dinner, was? Something of equal deliciousness, that was for sure. Her farther was an amazing cook, and she was more than proud to be following in his footsteps. Maybe they could open a family bakery, café or even restaurant one day! That would amazing.   
"You excited for today?" Dad beamed, patting his daughter on the back. She only laughed in return, nodding excitedly and diving in for a hug. Dad didn't mention it, knowing that she probably had a lot on her mind after he'd caught her staring at the photo frames dotted around their walls. Yet he knew it wasn't something he shouldn't bring up, unless Jane said something about it first. She had always been sensitive to the topic, and within good reason. She had been beyond mature about the entire situation, and credit had to be given where it was due. Sometimes he thought that she had taken the incident better than he had.   
"So, sweetheart~" Dad began, in a teasing voice and Jane knew that couldn't mean anything good. Almost predicting what he was about to say. "Have you finished your coursework?" He hummed, and Jane groaned loudly into her shirt, pulling away with a pout. "You know you aren't going to touch it this week." Dad warned, and she sighed in defeat. She already knew that fact, yet it worse to have it spoken out loud.   
  
"I'll go do it now." Jane lied, yet with a disappointed enough voice to make it sound like she was going to. Again, she thought back to how Jake was home-schooled; and how lucky he was to have any coursework or tests to touch. All he learnt about was plants and animals and the crazy scientific research that his grandparents moved to that very island to conduct in the first place! Lucky guy, didn't even realise how good he had it. Well- Not counting to ever-lasting loneliness and terrible radio signal.  "Make sure you check on your brother!" Dad called after her as Jane stomped up the stairs in over-exaggeration, all in the name of good humour. She nodded as he spoke, and glanced over to John's door in curiosity. She hadn't heard a peep out of him all day!  


  
**A very, very young man sits on the edge of his bed, in his bedroom. It just so happens that today, the 16th of September, 2003, is a... rather uninteresting day so far, for his standards anyway. Though it was five years ago he was given life, it is only today he will be given a name! Well. It is only today we will learn his name!**  
  
**What will the name of this young man be?**  
  
**His name is JOHN CROCKER. But I'm sure he already knew this. Five year olds know everything.   As was previously mentioned, today is the 16th of September. Yeah... he's pretty sure that nothing  interesting is happening today. A number of TOYS are scattered about his room. He has a variety of INTERESTS. Which involves a passion for REALLY TERRIBLE MOVIES. God, why did a five year old like such old and shitty movies anyway!? He spots a book in the corner of his room, more than likely placed there by his farther. Some futile attempt to make him read it by chance? Blasphemy! He'll never read a stupid BOOK! He also has a fondness for NINJA TURTLES, LEGO and STAR WARS. Normal young boy stuff. But most importantly, he is an aspiring AMATEUR MAGICIAN. One day he'll reach his OLDER SISTER and FARTHERS level of TRICKSTERY. He also likes to play BOARDGAMES and draw CRAYON PICTURES sometimes.**  
  
**What will you do?**  
**Once again, AUTHOR(S), exit NARRATION MODE, stop WASTING TIME and get on with the STORY. == >**  
  
John gave an empty sigh, swinging his legs over the edge of his bed. The shoe's which laces he was once trying to lie now abandoned on the floor. He should probably put them away before he lost them. If he did, his Dad would fix him with such a sad, disappointing look... John didn't even want to think about it! The young boy gave a glance up over to his door, which was firmly shut for the time being. John contemplated leaving and going downstairs to see what his farther was doing, but got distracted by the colourful calendar on the wall. He hopped of his bed and started towards it, carefully stepping over his knocked over Ghostbusters night-light. Taking a moment to plug it back into the socket in the wall. Flicking it off, as his farther always told him to preserve energy.  
At last, the young boy reached his door. Gazing up to the calendar with a wide grin. He didn't exactly understand what calendars did or what they meant, but he really liked the pictures. Especially this one, it had LEGO Star Wars on it! John really liked R2-D2. The small screaming robot was very funny and cute. Eventually, his line of sight fell to the actual dates section of the calendar, looking over it. Sometimes he struggled keeping up with the days, so his farther helpfully crossed out all the days that had been. And today, was a lot different from all the other days. This day was marked in a different coloured pen, blue instead of red like the crosses. It was a big smiley face! That meant today would be fun! But why? He wondered.  
  
Calling it a mystery, (his favourite word of late) John turned away from the door, deciding to put the laced shoes away and that today he would wear his Spider-Man crocs instead! He knelt down to pick them up, brown eyes narrowing in spite as he saw a neat, white rimmed book under his bed. How disgusting! Why on Earth was Dad still hiding books in his room? Reading was stupid, and he didn't like it! Who even liked reading?    
And then it hit him.  
Jade!  
Jade was coming over today!  
  
Along with her big brother, Jake, all the way from the Pacific Ocean! John wished he had a big brother, or that he lived on a big secret island too. But Jade loved reading, books about adventures, books about animals, books about learning too! John thought it was pretty terrible. Yet, with a huge buck-toothed smile on his face, he bolted upright. He had to go ask Dad when he could see Jade! It was today, and it couldn't be long surely? With an excited bounce, he snatched his teddy from his bed. The teddy in question was some sort of yellow and orange lizard, with a big blue mouth. John really liked this plush, because not only was it soft and nice to hug, but it did cool things too! If John held its hand it made happy 'glub' sounds, and if he asked his Dad or his Jane nicely to put the special mixture in, the teddy could blow bubbles through its mouth to! He got it on his birthday, and he was sure that Jade and Jake would think it was super cool too! He could not wait to show them.  
Bundling his teddy up under his arm, he stretched up onto his tip-toes and opened the door, nudging it open with his shoulder and running across the landing, almost crashing head-first into Jane, who was coming back up the stairs. "Hi John! Are you okay?" She asked, with a smile just as gentle as her voice. The boy grinned, nodding and holding his arms open for a hug, his lizard toy tumbling to the ground. Unable to resist her goofy brother's charm, she crouched down to hug him back. Giving a complementary ruffle of the hair as she did. "Are you excited to Jake and Jade today?" Jane asked, giving John a friendly kiss to his forehead. "Yeah! I'm gunna wear my Spider-man crocs and bring my bubble-lizard! Jade will think its really cool!" He gushed, beaming up to Jane, who seemed to have a sort of a grimace on her face. "You're going to wear your crocs to the airport?" She asked, and the little boy nodded excitedly. "Well, I suppose I can't cramp your style. And I must go study now, how about you go downstairs and see Dad?" Jane suggested, which seemed to peak John's interest as Jane retreated to her room.  
  
 Picking up Bubble Lizard and once again sticking it under his arm, John continued his trek downstairs. Glancing out of windows as he went, catching sight of the garden. He saw the big tree that dad said was just a tiny blade of grass when he first moved to this house, when not even Jane was born yet. John couldn't help but wonder if all grass grew into big trees. And on the tree in their garden, was Jane's tire-swing. She got it when she was young like him, and right next to it was John's Ghostbusters pogo-ride! He got that on his fifth birthday to! The boy wondered if all boys and girls got fun garden toys when they turned five. He'd ask Jade and Jake when he saw them.  
Oh!  
Jade and Jake where coming over!  
He mustn't forget again.  
  
  
  
Now filled again with energy, John dashed down the stairs, almost tripping over his feet and tumbling down the stairs a few times. Dad and Jane were always telling him to be careful on the stairs. He had been warned about the stairs, so perhaps he could try to be much more cautious in the future. Now with his feet planted firmly and safely on the ground, he went into the living room. Wriggling his bare toes in the carpet. Slowly, John walked past the piano, staring at it with mixed emotions. He couldn't play the piano well, nowhere near as good as Jane or Dad! But they helped him a lot, and always told them that he would get better at it with time. So of course he would have to listen to them! After all, grown-ups knew what was best! John decided to climb onto the piano stool, setting down Bubble Lizard next to him. Slowly and cautiously, John got to his feet and stood on the stool, so he could have a better look at all the pictures on the fireplace.  
John thought that the fireplace was nice, and he liked all the pictures! There were lots of him, Jane and Dad, going on days out and holidays. But there were also a few of people he didn't recognise. Jane told him that the lady with white, curly hair was his grandma. And that the urn on the fireplace held her ashes. John didn't really understand that either, but he tried his best to accept it.  
  
  There was one other, a picture of a small-looking Jane with Dad and a woman that John only knew from stories. She, apparently, was his mother. John knew that he grew up without her, and he never knew what the children or teachers meant in school when they spoke about mothers. But he did know that Dad looked very sad when John asked what a mother was, and why they didn't have one.  
 John's thoughts were interrupted by the Dad in question, who had come up behind him without John noticing and ruffled his hair in a sign of fatherly affection. John jumped, but turned around and giggled. Even standing on the stool he only came up to his father's chest.   
  
"Are you ready, John? Dinner's in the oven, and should be done by the time we get back." John reached up to cling to Dad's neck and his father chuckled, picking him up properly and retrieved Bubble Lizard from the stool, placing it into John's waiting hands.   
"Where are we going?" John asked in confusion, tilting his head.  
"Have you forgotten already?" Dad asked walking them out to the hallway and setting John down, just as John remembered what they were doing today and the little boy's face lit up.   
  
"We're meeting Jake and Jade today! They're going to love my Bubble Lizard!" He said excitedly, bouncing up and down.  "Yes, we are. Now, son, where are your shoes?" John's enthusiasm dimmed slightly. He had no idea where he'd put his shoes. The young boy was all but sure that he'd had them only a moment ago! "I... I don't know." He murmured, suddenly put down by the fact that he had forgotten something so simple, again!   
"Are they not in your room?" Dad suggested, trying to be helpful. It was becoming more and more obvious, as the weeks went by that John wasn't exactly the smartest child. He was quite simple minded, and forgetful. Yet Dad had enough patience in him to love and care for his son; like any other child.  
  
"Of course! I was trying to tie my shoe-laces! In my room! But then I decided to find my crocs instead! The Spider-Man ones!" John squeaked, furiously trying to wriggle free for his fathers embrace to scamper upstairs. The older man set him down and watched him dash away in amusement, turning his attention to his son's beloved Bubble Lizard that had been abandoned; and placing it to the side where it wouldn't be forgotten again. Predicting that John would be so excited to get into the car and go to the airport, that he'd forget the very toy that he was so excited to show his cousins in the first place. He could hear John's footsteps stomping up the stairs, followed by a bit of a stumble and the sounds of a door swinging open. Dad could only assume that John had stumbled into the poor door again.    
The older man sighed and his son's clumsiness, wiping his hands down on his trousers and heading back into the kitchen. Probably his favourite room in the house! The way he felt about his kitchen was the same way he imagined an artist felt about their studio, or how a director felt about is set. It was a place he could just let go and let his creative talents flow, and he was glad to have passed on those skills to his daughter, Jane.   
  
Cakes of course where the Cocker Family's trademark, but more than just sugary sweets came to life in his oven. Things such as the roast chicken that was already cooking away in the warm, orange glow of the orange. He'd decided to treat Jade and Jake to a Roast Lunch, and they could spend tea snacking with pop-corn and drinks over a few movies instead of having two hearty meals in one day. Hopefully, they'd have some left-overs to! Dad wriggled his hands into the oven gloves and grabbed the tray of potatoes and carrots from his side counter, double checking that they had all of the needed seasoning and herbs before nudging the oven door open with his foot and slipping the tray into the platform below the chicken. His nose being flooded with the already delicious smells of the meal.  
He checked his watch, and decided that they'd arrive home back from the airport just in time to take everything out of the oven and chow-down. Humming proudly to himself about his perfect planning and timing, Dad shut the oven door and set his oven gloves aside. Brushing a few strands of herbs into his hand to drop into the bin before leaving the kitchen once again to stand at the bottom of the stairs.   
  
"Jane! John! Grab your shoes and coats! We're going in five minutes!"  
He just hoped the kitchen wouldn't be burnt to a crisp by the time they came home. 


	2. Chapter. 2: Slow Moving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It just seems fitting that today's Chapter is Jake and Jade centric, and it's uploaded on their birthday! Happy Birthday Jade and Jake! : D
> 
> Chapter 2;  
> Jake Harley and his little sister Jade arrive in Washington after their long morning of travel, John momentarily goes missing, Jane drinks some of that quality coffee (TM) and the gang is more than excited to go to the fair! Nothing could go wrong there; right? ... Right?
> 
> -Author(s) Notes-  
> -The chapters will start to become illustrated at around the 10th of January!  
> -The Authors are in fact British; and as this is a story set in the United States we have limited knowledge which may render some topics inaccurate due to cultural barriers ;0

**  
**  
A young man stands in a bustling hall-way. It just so happens that today, the 16th of September, 2003, is the date he and his YOUNGER SISTER arrive in WASHINGTON, in the US of A! The young man is expected to meet his cousins at the AIRPORT today, and eagerly looks forward to the FUN DAYS of FAMILY HIJINKS ahead of them! ****  
** **

 

 **Now then, what do you suppose the name of this young man could be?** ****  
** **

 

**His name is JAKE HARLEY. As was previously mentioned, he is absolutely cock-a-hoop to finally see his two cousins JANE CROCKER and JOHN CROCKER for the first time in MONTHS! Seriously, he was beginning to forget what they even looked like! This opportunity is SO rare because his cousins live in up in the AMERICAN COLONIES, and his side of the family are always too busy with their GRANDPARENTS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. Although, at the strapping young age of SIXTEEN he still isn't allowed to know the depths of the INTENSE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH conducted on his HOME ISLAND. It should come as no surprise to the READER that GOD does he love movies. ALL MOVIES. He would describe his taste in film as ECLECTIC, but in truth, it isn't much less than TOTALLY INDISCRIMINATE. He blusters frequently of exuberance for FIREARMS and FISTICUFFS and ADVENTURE, though have no human company the same as him with which to share these interests. But who needs chums, when he can enjoy a top notch gander of the BEAUTIFUL SCENERY of his ISLAND, STUDY with his GRANDPARENTS and have a jolly old time with his LITTLE SISTER, JADE HARLEY.**

**He's known to be found with his nose in a COMIC BOOK OR TWO, not that it makes him a nerd or anything, like he'd even CARE about that! He would love to travel around the world, toppling any SACRED URNS he encountered. He'd be tickled by the opportunity to defile HALLOWED TOMBS everywhere, raiding them of their treasures. And how Jake would give his RIGHT LEG for a shot at desecrating THE SHIT out of some real life MYSTIC RUINS for their byzantine wares. Luckily for his limb, there is a dandy set of such ruins nearby on his BELOVED HOME ISLAND, and he desecrates them quite frequently!**

****

**But none of that's on his mind now, because he is just so PSYCHED about this SPECIAL DATE. He and JADE HARLEY have been anticipating this day for WEEKS. As a matter of fact, his aforementioned LITTLE SISTER and ADVENTURER/SCIENTIFIC GENIUS EXTRODINARE IN TRAINING seems to have found the correct corridor out of this god-forsaken labyrinth of an AIRPORT. Sweet relief in the form of neon flashing EXIT SIGN. Congratulating her GENIUS MIND for being so observant as they head down the descripted hall. Right then, HURRY UP with your damn heavy SUITCASE and get on with it! You're main characters now; you need your chance to shine.**

****

**What will you do?**

**AUTHOR(S), quit fooling around already! Exit NARRATION MODE and get on with the STORY. == >**

****

"Are we going to see John? And Jane?" Jade asked for perhaps the millionth time today. She knew the answer of course, yet it was just the excitement getting to her and making her all but a little bit hyper. Jake was envious of her never-ending energy; he was completely zonked from the long flight, yet pinned it down to the fact that she only had a tiny, five year-old sized backpack to carry; and he had been lumped with the rest of the luggage, featuring a large suitcase and a decently sized duffle bag.

"Yep! I know they're quite punctual, so they should be on time and right down.... This hallway?" His statement ended more of a question, double checking a very brightly lit sign before taking a deep breath, and reaching out for Jade's hand. She grabbed on tightly, very clearly remembering their grandparents warnings of how busy and dangerous the USA could be- And that she promised to stay very close to Jake. Yet it was just so tempting to run off and make friends and go see things and smell all of the wonderful food stalls that they had! ****  
** **

"Jake, can we get food?" The dark skinned girl asked, her round glasses only exaggerating her already huge, begging puppy dog eyes. He opened his mouth to say no, yet his own grumbling stomach seemed to disagree with him. They brought more than enough snacks with them onto the ferry and the plane; yet they were devoured within the first half-hour of travel. The more he thought about it, the hungrier he felt and started to feel bad for his much younger sister.

"Sure! I could go for a good old bacon butty right about now! Reckon they have any warm food?" He hummed, to which his sister joined in on. One foot tapping whilst her hand adjusted the glasses on her face. "I want a donut!" Jade decided, and Jake shrugged; it wasn't exactly a hearty Full-English- yet at this point, he could go for anything. "It'll all depends if they sell any here." He informed, which Jade perked up with.

"They do! I saw it!" Jade squealed excitedly, grabbing one strap of her backpack in one hand and Jake's wrist in the other; tugging him back in the direction they had just came. He groaned at the thought of back-tracking where they had already came from, yet decided that it would be worth it for food. Yet in all fairness Jade was right, and within hardly a minute of back-tracking she pointed out a brightly decorated green, red and white display. Donuts showcasing their deliciousness through the glass of the display.  
"Hnispy Hneme?" Jake echoed in confusion at the cursive writing of the logo, trailing behind Jade to try and work out what it said as she rushed forwards to press her hands up against the glass. Already tied between three or four that she liked the look of.

"Right, lets keep it simple. Only one donut each." He decided, guessing that they didn't exactly have much money to spare on donuts of all things, especially if they where supposed to stay in the States for at least a week or two! Bits and bobs, trinkets and gift shops were mostly on his priorities, to bring home and remind them of the trip. He didn't want to go skint halfway through the trip!

"But Jaaake! They all look so yummy! Just look at that one!" Jade whined, jabbing her finger at a glossy pink donut labelled as 'Strawberry Glaze'. Jake couldn't deny that it did indeed look delicious, and suddenly he was finding himself stuck between a Nutella, Orange or Strawberry flavoured one. So many to choose from!

"Say," He started, glancing up at the stall runner, who seemed to be wearing a smile far too forced. "How much is a big family box?"

****

\------------------------------------

****

"We're going to be late!" Jane groaned, her eyes glued anxiously to the clock on the car's exterior, mentally willing her dad to just go a little bit faster.

"We're going to end up in a car accident if we go any faster." Dad bit back, his voice calm yet with his own aggravation in his tone. The older man hadn't predicted the traffic build-up on the way here. Silently cursing the pensioner that caused the initial jam. It seemed like the poor old geezer could hardly differciate his brakes from his gear stick! Regardless, they had to gain back as much time as possible. With any luck; Jake and Jade's plane would be delayed by a few minutes. Or maybe they found something to distract themselves with!  
Yet knowing his Niece and Nephew, they where probably just twiddling their thumbs in typical, polite British fashion. Despite not being British and the British not even being that polite.  ****  
** **

"Right; I can see the Airport in the distance! I'll drop you two of at the main entrance and then go find a parking space." Dad listed the beginning of his, sparing a glance at Jane to make sure his daughter understood. She nodded valiantly, like a soldier receiving orders from his Commander. He was surprised he hadn't heard her mutter a 'Yessir!' yet.

"You go to the lobby and see if you can spot them, and then wait for me to come find you all. Keep an eye on John and try to stick to the waiting area." Dad was fully aware of how difficult it was to 'keep an eye on' John, yet it had to be done. Especially in such a busy, bustling space like an airport. He more than trusted Jane to be up to the task, however. 

"Alright. It wont be too hard to find a parking spot, should it?" Jane hummed, pushing her hair behind her ear in preparation as they neared the front entrance of the airport.

"Okay John, you ready?" Dad asked behind him, where his son nodded from his car-seat. Hands absent-mindly playing with the lizard teddy as his eyes watched the curious white building from outside the car-window. This was the airport? He couldn't see many planes. He was sure that this place was supposed to be bustling with planes; dipping in and out of the air and leaving white, cloudy trails in the sky!

Yet before the long, the car was rolling to a halt and after patting herself down for phone and purse, Jane pushed her door open and stepped out. It was half as busy as she expected it to be- Yet she didn't want to jinx anything yet. Double checking the rode, she moved around the car to open John's car-door and unbuckle his belt. Waving Dad of once they where out and he pulled away.

****

"You excited to see Jane and Jake?" She asked, unable to resist a smile of her own at her brothers giant, goofy beam of a grin. "Yeah! I cant wait to show Jade my bubble lizard!" John squeaked, until his face dropped with an almighty gasp.  
"I left my teddy in the car! I have to go get it so I can show Jade!" He wailed, hushed quickly by his sister who really didn't want to have any attention to draw to them by a screaming child.  
"It's okay! Don't worry about it! You can always show Jade in the car. I'm sure it'll be easier then as well because we'll all be sitting down and by ourselves." She tried to console, and John nodded sadly. Seemingly have calmed down already from his near-tears breakdown. God, he wasn't half hard work!

****

"Right then! Let's get going and find Jake and Jade." She tried to encourage him, grabbing his hand and swaying it back and forth which seemed to cheer him up. He squeezed her hand back, yet his arm was otherwise quite limp. Sticking closely to her side as they scooted around a group of people who where lingering outside.

Inside of the airport was gigantic and shining white, with information, tourist and food stalls being the first thing to notice. Across the way with a few barriers stood the check in and luggage desks, leading then onto a hallway that Jane guessed was only accessible to those who had signed in.

On the basis that they weren't booking a plane to Barcelona, the rule of deduction told her that they should be heading in the opposite direction. And correctly so, a sign labelled "Lobby" blinked out in neon over a similar wide hallway to that of the departures, and she was sure that she could hear the sounds of a coffee shop and the sound of relaxed chatter.

"I think we're going that way." Jane declared out-loud, both to encourage herself and calm her brother who seemed to be getting more antsy by the second as the great, white hall began to fill up a little. A quick glance around informed them that a coach had just pulled up outside, along side a decently sized group who had come from the Lobby area.

****

"Keep hold of my hand." The oldest sibling murmured quietly, earning a silent nod from John. As briskly as she could, she lead him through the intensely growing crowds. The poor kid bumped his hip against a smaller sized suitcase as it rolled along, which ended up in tugging Jane back. Taking a moment to check if he was okay and not-so-stressed, they carried on.

She heard the whirling tornado that was three twelve year old boys playing tag before it probably hit him, calling out in surprise as they weaved their way through the tight crowds and all but separated the two siblings. Jumping around each other and causing quite a commotion in the densely packed space of humans until the victory cry of "Tag! You're it!" rang out through the hall and their direction changed once again. Zipping a different way to escape the new chaser. Jane was vaguely aware of the children's parents yelling after them to behave, yet wasn't focusing on that.

**Where was John?**

In the quick disruption and panic it seemed as if the young boy had been separated from her, and within seconds her heart was in her throat. "John? John!" She called out, wildly glancing about herself before trying to escape from the almost claustrophobic flurry of people; still shouting her brothers name as she sped-walked.  
A sharp wail caught her attention, which could only belong to her brother. Recognising the near scream as his wildest panic, a sound the quiet child only made when he was on the verge of a bad breakdown.

All but running towards where she heard the sound, Jane shouldered though a handful of wandering tourists to find her younger brother crouched on the floor. Hands pressed into his ears and rocking back and forth whilst a young woman hovered over him, desperately trying to figure out what was the matter whilst her partner called over security.

 

"John! John are you okay?" Jane coo'ed, kneeling down beside him to gently slow his rocking and start to pull his hands from his ears. The anxious woman looked a bit calmer, yet still suspicious.  
"Is that your brother?" She questioned, and Jane nodded silently. Stroking John's hair back until his breathing evened.

"It's okay John. We got pushed away from each other and you got lost- But I've found you know and it's all okay. Do you want to go sit in the lobby until Dad comes back? And we can go find Jade and Jake?" Jane spoke soothingly, continuing to calm him until he seemed ready to stand up, and gently helped him to his feet. "It's okay, I've got you." She whispered, letting him hug her as she turned back to the concerned woman.

"Thanks for... keeping an eye on him. We got separate by a group of boys playing tag." She explained briefly, hoping that she wouldt have to show any identity or wait for Dad to come back to prove they where actually related. Although she liked to think that she and John looked somewhat similar enough to bypass that.

"Don't worry about it, I spoke to those boys parents. Where are you two going now?" A new, deeper voice sounded from beside them, and Jane jumped. Looking up at the security guard that the woman had previously called over. His name-tag read Harry.

"Oh good! Thanks. And we're just heading over to the Lobby now and waiting for our cousins." She explained, and quickly filled Harry in on the situation when he asked where their parental guardian was. It took a few minutes before they where good to go, and Jane cautiously scooped John up into her arms as they continued over to the Lobby. Not wanting to risk losing him again as they pushed through groups and weaved through crowds.

****

Just as Jane had predicted, the Lobby area was more or less a coffee shop.

It had a cute, compact little tub chairs around little tables that pointed out to the windows where there was a decent view of the run ways, and a large counter that sold a hand full of snacks and drinks, yet primarily coffee. Jane was suddenly reminded that she hadn't had her morning pick-me-up and decided that they could have a drink whilst they waited for Jake and Jade.  ****  
** **

"You go pick out a table with a good view, try to count as many planes as you can!" Jane encouraged John, keeping a close eye on him after the previous ordeal. Slipping her purse out of her pocket, she joined the extremely short queue of exactly one person. Watching John press his hands up against the glass of the large window as he watched a plane take of in the distance.

As she waited for the person ahead of her to pay, she looked over to where the rest of the hallway lead. It seemed to continue onwards with electronic gates; making them one way. Meaning that this was as far as they could go to try and find Jake and Jade. On the plus side, when they came through the gates the siblings would walk right past the coffee shop; and make it easy enough for the Crocker's to spot them.

****

Ordering a small glass of filtered orange juice for John, Jane just ordered two normal pot's of tea for coffee for her and her Dad. Just so he could have something to drink when he arrived. And almost summoned by the sound of Jane taking the drink's back to John's chosen table and setting them down with a clink, Dad turned the corner and scoured the little cafe for them. ****  
** **

"Hey Dad! Did you found us easy enough?" Jane laughed, noticing her farther who had a plastic carrier bag in hand, and waving him over once he had spotted them settling down.

"Sure did. I smelt coffee and knew you'd make a bee-line for it." He joked, smiling fondly at John when he bounded back from the window to pick up his tiny cup of orange juice, and gave him a fatherly light ruffle. The young boy made a sound of complaint, sensitive after his previous ordeal, yet it was all well-mannered.

"No sign of Jade or Jake?" Dad asked with a frown, and Jane sadly shook her head, slumping back down into her seat and her father followed suit. Pulling the chair slightly further away from the little round tables so his much longer legs could actually fit.

****

"Not at all. I haven't even had a message of him!" Jane sighed, slumping a little bit further in defeat. Reminding her father to send the Harley's grandparents a text message to let them know that they had arrived at the airport and where just waiting on them now.

Dad nodded, asking if they made it to the Lobby okay, and to adapt a look of concern when Jane explained how they got separated in the rush of people; yet they where both glad to see that John was more than back to his usual self.

"Well- I know I took a while to find you guys, but I can make up for it. Behold!" Dad joked, reaching into the plastic bag that Jane had noticed and pulling out a tiny white board with a black-marker pen strapped into the packaging.  **  
** "What is that." Jane deadpanned, before bursting out in laughter in realisation that he had gone to the struggle of purchasing a re-usable welcome sign. John cocked his head at the laughter, wondering what was so funny.

"John, do you want to hold it?" Dad asked, stripping the board of the packaging and popping the lid of the marker pen.  
"It's a sign that we can write Jake and Jade's names on so they know that it's us!" Jane filled in, still giggling a little under her breath as her father went the extra mile to write out their cousins name in gorgeous cursive writing, neatly underlining the names with the elegance of a royal script-writer.  
Not really understanding the joke, John agreed regardless with spiffing enthusiasm, making grabby hands at the object and proudly holding it to his chest. Practising how he would hold it, yet didn't exactly get much time to put his practise to good use.

"Look! There they are! Go John!" Jane laughed, being the first to spot the islanders. They looked beraggedled as it was with their heavy luggage and sleep deprivation, yet they seemed to be carrying their own body weights in food. Jake had a large tray of Krispy Kreme donuts in hand and Jane seemed to have most of its content in either her mouth of her hands. A bag of sweets also hanging from her hand, whilst a half-eaten deli sandwich hung from Jake's mouth.

John sprinted from their table as fast as his Spider-Man Crocs could take him, Jane on his heels.

  
"Jooooohn!" Jade squealed in excitement as they ran towards each other, uncaring of the donuts on her hands as she all but tackled her cousin in a huge hug. John giggling in pure glee, his welcome sign all but abandoned on the floor beside them as he returned Jade's hug. Making a high pitched "Ewwwwww!" sound when the jam and crÃ¨me from his cousin's donuts got on his hands and face.

"Hey Jake! Long time no see!" Jane laughed, a bit more cautious in greeting him in a hug due to all the food he was carrying. Impressively, Jake swallowed down the rest of his sandwich in mere seconds and adjusted the large donut box in his hand so he could speak properly.

"Well hey Janey! It feel's like it's been forever." Jake grinned, offering his fist in a fist-bump of which his cousin enthusiastically met him with.

"We're just sat down at the coffee shop for something to drink if you want to join us and relax for a bit before we head home?" Jane offered with a grin, gesturing over to where Dad still sat and then quickly offered the kids a wave.

"Of course! We'd love to give our poor feet a rest." Jake groaned; whilst they had been sat on boats and planes for most of their morning, the consistent queuing had been an issue. If his legs where starting to ache- He felt bad trying to imagine how poor Jade felt. Yet with a glance over to her and John's animated discussion about planes and John's crocs, he came to the conclusion that she was a feeling a whole lot more energized than him.

They headed back over to their little table, Jake and Jane grabbing two extra chairs as they went so they could all sit comfortably around the small space they had chosen.

"Afternoon James! Or should I call you Uncle James?" Jake joked, using Jane's Dad's real name as he stopped by for a Manly Handshake(TM), causing the older man to only laugh and shake his head.  
"James is fine Jake, did you have a good journey?" He asked politely as the two islanders settled down, Jade and John too busy in their own little world of chatter; their subject of discussion now having moved onto a cartoon show that they both enjoyed.  
"Are you two sure you don't want anything to drink?" Jane asked as Jake explained their entire journey, yet unsurprisingly Jake pulled a bottle of something fizzy out of one of his bags.  
"Why on Earth do you guys have so much food?" Jane laughed, and Jake gave her a playful nudge.

"Why would you think Janey! We're hungry! And those Hnispy Hneme donuts just looked so mouth watering-" Jake grinned happily, proud of his large purchase, yet disappointed in his self-control for buying so many of them. "You guys can have some to!" He added, yet Jane and her Dad where far too busy laughing under their breath. Earning an almost offended look from Jake.  
"What?" He asked, and Jane gave his shoulder a gentle pat. "Krispy Kreme, Jake. Not Nispy Hen or whatever it was you said!" She laughed with a huge grin, and Jake only rolled his eyes with a hushed grumble about unintelligible cursive writing.

****

The cheery family spent a few more minutes around their small coffee table, snacking lightly on the donuts (whilst saving room for lunch) as Jane and Dad quickly drained their coffees. With a content sigh, Dad got to his feet and decided that if they wanted to get home before lunch burnt, they should probably get on the road.  
Jane groaned at the lengths of the queues of cars that she could see lining up as they headed towards the exit, herself and Dad sharing some of Jake's luggage to make it easier on the tired boy.  
"Those queues are huge! They where nowhere near that long when we arrived." She complained, deflating a little in defeat. John, who had been holding his sisters hand, looked a little concerned at her outbursts.  
Dad grinned at her, and lead the small group of the door. He knew they weren't all that bad.

"Those who wait get good things. _The same way the first few Chapters of a book are long and boring, we all know it'll get better with time_."

 


	3. Chapter 3: Trepidation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3;  
> Fairs are fun and games, aren't they?
> 
> WHOO! Finally, the plot is going somewhere and we have actual action! : D I'm aware this chapter is a little overdue but I hope the size makes up for it ;3 
> 
> -Author(s) Notes-  
> -The chapters will start to become illustrated at around the 10th of January!  
> -The Authors are in fact British; and as this is a story set in the United States we have limited knowledge which may render some topics inaccurate due to cultural barriers ;0

The car journey was slow in traffic, and it felt like it took them an eternity to get home. Dad commentated on how this wasn't usually a rush hour; yet Jade and Jake where more over amazed with how many people there where in one place. Jane couldn't help but feel somewhat bad for them and their isolated lives in the Pacific, yet at the same time, she wouldn't mind being able to escape society and live on her own private little island. How liberating!  
Two sides of the same coin, she supposed.

Jade dragged her small feet as she entered the door, the sugar rush from all of the doughnuts have finally worn off on the boring drive home. She thought that the roads where kind of grey and boring to look at compared to the never-ending fauna and wildlife back home. Yet the huge buildings, hundreds of people and giant signs that she could see all around them almost made up for it. The younger adventurer knew that she'd been to American before; yet she couldn't really remember it. So it felt like her first time here!  
Jake pushed her towards the sofa once they had all settled in safely, helping her kick her shoes off messily before remembering guiltily that this was somebody elses home, and quickly bundled them up neatly to set them aside. Jade threw herself down on the sofa, a bit more awake now that they where sat inside. Eyes wandering curiously around the almost pristine living room.  
John sat next to her, still playing with his teddy. It was a stark contrast to how he'd been in the car, animatedly telling Jake and Jade everything they could possibly know about his favourite toy. Jake tried his best to appear interested in it, and Jade was a little downcast that John did let her have a go at his precious Bubble-Lizard.

"What time did you guys get up?" Jane asked, sympathetically as Jake sat down on the floor, realizing there wasn't much sofa space left. He didn't exactly want to take the last place and leave Dad to have to sit on the floor. That just wasn't adequate gentlemen guest behaviour at all!  
"About five or six? Jade was up earlier though. She was so excited." Jake told her as he sat down too, their bags having been abandoned in the hallway and box of Krispy Kreme's placed gently on the coffee table for after their hearty lunch. Or was it more of a dinner? Somewhere in-between- He was far too jet-lagged to care. Seeing the Crocker's had hyped him up a little, but now that he'd sat down, all of his energy had been pretty much drained.  
It wasn't long after until Dad appeared out of the kitchen, taking off his oven gloves as he spoke. "The chicken has a little longer to go, and so do the vegetables. So you guys can unpack upstairs if needed." he told Jake, who smiled gratefully.  
"I think we'd like that. Better to unpack now than having to do it after the fair when we're all exhausted!" He admitted and stood up to begin convincing Jade to slide of her chair and come upstairs with him. "I've made the guest room up for you, but we still need to blow up the air mattress in John's room, for Jade ." Dad explained as he led Jake and Jade off. John tottering after them so he could show his cousins around.

An hour or so later, with bags unpacked and stomachs full of chicken dinner, everybody was more than excited for the fair. Jake kept applauding Dad's incredible cooking talents- and demanded a recipe to take home so his grandparents could try it out. Jade and John had spent the entire meal chittering on about how excited they where, and what they where most looking forwards to seeing. The youngest adventurer seemed to be imagining gigantic roller coasters, loud music and bright lights- Whilst John mostly seemed to fantasise over trinkity stalls, arcade games and bouncy castles.  
Jade was back to her bubbly self, well recovered after a hearty meal and a rest. She was bouncing around excitedly as everyone got ready to go to the fair. She was helping John get ready, reminding him of what he was doing every few seconds or so. "You should put bands on your fingers to remember stuff, like me!" She told him, holding up her hands splayed with all her colourful bands.  
"But how do you remember what band means what?" John retorted, earning but a shrug in response. "You just know!"

\--------------

Finally, after Dad made sure everyone had a coat and hat and after he had explained to a stubborn John that Bubble Lizard couldn't come with them, they managed to all pile out to the car; with even Jane getting excited at the night before them. Jade was amazed with how their breath turned to smoke in the cold air, with even Jake chipping in to pretend he was a fire breathing dragon.  
The car journey wasn't as long as the trip to the airport, and the roads where much less jammed up with traffic. The slowly darkening dusk gave way to bright street lights, which reflected in Jade's huge glasses as she watched with amazed expressions. The amount of people loitering outside of stores, walking on small roads, rows upon rows of houses with bustling lives inside them. Jake had a small moment of existential crisis- Realizing that every single human had their own unique lives and they all entwined to neatly in the crazy infrastructure of the planet- Yet his ramblings where cut short by an excited call from Jane on the front seat, pointing out to a growing mass in the distance.  
Gigantic, brightly lit and coloured structures pointed into the sky, a marvellous big-top in the centre. Break-neck speed carts flew across rollercoaster tracks into the sky and back down again, and they where all captivated in watching the scene unfold.

John seemed to be the only one unnerved as they came closer, blinking away from the glaring lights. Dad was the first to open his door, and the small boy flinches away from the thundering sounds that radiated from the fair. An unsettling, sickly feeling in his stomach as he unclipped his car-seat buckle and stepped out on their car, watching the crowds gravitate towards the brightly lit entrance.  
Whilst Jade and Jake all but bounded forwards in excitement, John hung back, hesitant to get any further to the entrance. Jane could only give Dad a concerned look, prop John's hood up over his ears and hold his hands tightly. The days earlier conundrum fresh in her mind.

Entry tickets weren't at all a strain on Dad's wallet, declaiming Jake's offer to help pay just a little bit into the tickets. He thought it was a grand gesture from somebody raised on a private island; where money was no object, but also didn't want the young man blowing whatever money he had on things easily covered by Dad.  
Donned with paper wristbands, the family excitedly piled into the fair-grounds. Stepping through the entrance felt like stepping into an entirely new dimension; one made of well-trodden field grass littered with abandoned hotdog buns and a skyline filled with giant, flashing rides.  
It was a battle to keep John and Jade close to them as they walked, Jade's constant enthusiasm seemingly boosting John's confidence and helping him forget of the uncomfortable environment he'd been thrust into. Jake's eyes caught onto a waltzer ride, eyes widening in amazement as he watched the high-speed ride swing madly around.  
"Interested in the Waltzers?" Jane hummed with a grin, knowing for a fact that Jake wouldn't be able to keep his food up if that was the first ride he went on. She had planned on taking things a little slower and work Jake's ride-tolerance up slowly. It wasn't exactly everyday that the eccentric adventurer was thrown about like a ragdoll on a nauseous ride.  
After running a bit too quickly around a corner, Jade and John found themselves barrelling into some poor teenager. The teen hardly managing to hold onto her can of fizzy drink, and the two where called back towards Dad almost immediately after. He made them promise to look after each other and stay with eachother no matter what, to stay in sight of at least Dad or Jane, and to take the enthusiasm down just a little bit.  
John nodded very seriously and obediently, whilst Jade simply reached out to grab a handful of John's sleeve. A few seconds later, they were running through the stalls once again, John's smaller legs pumping to keep with Jade, cirlcing back once or twice to beg for candyfloss or a go on the hook-a-duck.  
"Jane! I want a go!" John yelled, waving a toy hammer from a Whack-An-Imp game. Jane tore her attention from her banter with Jake to looked at it, mildly puzzled at the deviation from the normal 'Whack a Mole', yet handed him some loose change from her purse and let him go wild.  
Jade cheered him on from the side as he made a few poor attempts of smacking the little rubber creatures, before squealing loudly and all but ditching her cousins to greet a dog that she'd seen from the corner of her eyes. All but pouncing on it to fuss and give it a hug. Jake laughed nervously with the owners, having tried to scold her for petting peoples dogs without asking, and deciding to pull her back before she started rolling around and growling with the dog. The canine in question seemed sad to see his friend go, as Jade waved to the fluffy creature as she was dragged away.  
"John! John, did you see the dog? He was so fluffy!" Jade asked John in excitement, returning to his side when he ran out of coins and forlornly left the machine.

John smiled along with her, trying to pull his hood up again from where it'd fallen down in his somewhat boisterous Imp bashing. It felt good to relieve some stress with some good old fashioned destruction, and found the little tickets with Gusher like gems printed all over them to be a decent reward for his efforts. He was pretty sure he could trade these in for prizes afterwards!  
Jade mourned the loss of her new dog friend for a few seconds, watching him bound after his owners with a waggly tail, before she saw the teacups ride and promptly forgot all about the dog.

"Jake! Please, please, please can we all go on the spinning cups?" She begged, grabbing Jake's arm and trying to drag him with all of her tiny five year old strength towards the cups. She hadn't ever been on them before, but they looked like pure fun. John didn't seem quite so sure as Jade was, but nodded along all the same and tried to pull Jane along, the same way his cousin had done with Jake.  
"Jade I don't think we can all fit in a cup!" Jake gave into her pulling and led their group over to the teacups. "But you and John can certainly go!" He added, lifting Jade easily onto the platform where she squinted at each and every one of the tiny, brightly coloured cups, before finally choosing a pink striped cup, regardless of the fact that it didn't matter. John jumped up happily after her, screaming in what Jane hoped was delight when the ride started spinning wildly. Dad stood next to the two older children, taking photos of John and Jade as they spun.  
"At least they didn't eat anything before going on that." He told Jane with a fond smile as he stepped forward to greet them off the ride, helping them individually of the platform and back onto the grass. John, who didn't have good balance or coordination at the best of times, fell into Dad's leg and clung there for a few moments until the world stopped spinning. Jade however, was not perturbed and continued bouncing in excitement. "That was amazing! Can we go again?" She all but screamed at Jake, not realising the volume of her voice in her excitement. Her body shiver, happy as could be, surrounded by the din of the fair. Jake laughed but shook his head, leading her away with the promise of an ice-cream.

That idea was halted as Jake's attention was caught by a shooting game, the traditional old one, with duck cut-outs scrolling across the stall. He paid for a gun for himself, and then, after Jade begged some more, two for her and John. Jane turned down the offer, instead watching them all try to hit the ducks and trying to improve John's aim. Helping Dad choose some of the more interesting activities on a fair leaflet that the older man had picked up from previous stall.  
Jade copied her older brother's stance, looking as serious as she could as she aimed for a duck, only for her jet of water to go off course when John decided to make her a target instead of the ducks, a wicked grin on his face. Jane burst out laughing but had to quickly intervene before they started a full out water fight. Dad winked at John and gave him a high-five for his trick which John enthusiastically responded to, proud of his pranksters gambit.  
Finally, they managed to get to the ice cream truck all together and without any distractions. John got an ice-cream cone with two flakes sticking out of it, resembling bunny ears, and which he then proceeded to get all over himself. Jade couldn't choose between two ice-creams but finally decided on one with tons of chocolate sauce, and somehow managed to stay cleaner than John. Jake was only a few licks into his ice-cream when a seagull swopped out of nowhere, stealing the flake and making Jake drop the whole thing in surprise. Jake grumbled over it for a bit, cursing all low-life dirty seagulls, until John shuffled over to him and offered one of his bunny ears for Jake to have. Dad patted John on the head proudly even when Jake declined it.

It was a little bit later when Dad began ushering everyone towards the main tent, moving briskly as the sky darkened so they could get a good seat before the circus show actually started. It was so hard to keep Jade focused on the one path that Dad almost didn't see John slip away to stand in front of a big, deep purple tent with a sign in a lilac, cursive font.  
'MADAME ROSALIND WILL HELP YOU!'  
With 'Fortunes told! Enquire within' underneath it. Dad reached for John's hand to tug him away gently, instantly getting feelings of uncertainty when he looked at it. Gypsy's trying to gain a bit of money, probably, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something much more sinister waited inside. Meaning that he most certainly didn't want John or any of his brood anywhere near it.  
  
John, on the other hand, was mesmerised. Eyes glued to the sparkly gold decorations sewn into the deep lilac tent. Rich fabrics bundled up and hanging in drapes.  
"Dad, what sort of tent is this?" He asked, ever so innocently, whilst just Dad shook his head in silent justice and started walking. John following after him a moment later to grab onto his hand. Yet he couldn't help but sneak one last glance over his shoulder at it. Yet now stood a middle-aged woman in the doorway who he was sure wasn't there before. His hood was still covering most of his face, yet he was sure that he would have heard her walking past. Her eyes where a deep, unnatural lilac; matching the fabric of the tent. Pale, flawless skin and strawberry blonde hair that hung as straight as a toy doll. He watched with wide, awed eyes as her pitch black lips seemed to part in shock. Their eyes locked, and they seemed to share a deep feeling of understanding for a moment, before she disappeared back into her tent.  
"She won't actually help you John. She just does it for money. It's not real." Dad explained to John, and the boy only seemed to tune back into reality to realize that he was being spoken to. "Come on now John, before we miss the show." John followed after him quicker after that, not wanting to keep Jane, Jake or Jade waiting too long. They where a little bit ahead of them, having noticed John and Dad slow down and decided to stop and wait for them.

Jade bounded back over to John, and with a friendly shove and a cry of, "Tag! You're it!", Jade was spiriting through the fairgrounds once again; going as fast as her little legs could carry her. She was a lot more athletic that John, having been raised playing and learning outdoors with Jake and her grandparents, yet John seemed to be gaining on her at a pretty decent speed.  
Deaf to Dad's concerned calls towards them, the two kept chasing each other, excitedly squealing and laughing as the big-top grew larger and larger in the near-distance, like a gigantic red and white Hershey's kiss poking up into the sky. The Circus! Now that would be the highlight of their evening.

Dad chuckled fondly at the two children, glancing to the teenagers behind him. Jake and Jane where chatting a lot more relaxed than their siblings, the occasional bought of laughter between them.  
Rather content, he let his eyes wonder across the fair. Watching some of the earlier seagulls who had been terrorizing Jake, and frowning as a group of older teenagers just seemed to dump litter in their paths without a care in the world.  
It wasn't until his eyes travelled into the twilight sky, did he see the hidden threat that had been looming over them their entire evening.

Jade and John's joyous laughter and chasing skidded to a halt, shocked and alerted by the distant screaming of one of the fair goers. It wasn't long until more screams and panicked shouts joined the fray, and Jade and John looked around frantically for what was causing all the fuss, pressing close to each other in panic.  
Their heads didn't start to turn upwards until the ground suddenly went dark around them, like a thick cloud passing by the sun. Shaking in fear, John's wide eyes turned towards to sky.

A humanoid, black figure with gigantic black wings descended in the sky above them. It's huge wings having blocked out the slowly setting sun for just a moment, causing a rippling shadow as it came crashing down to Earth.  
Jade and John where paralysed in fear as it dive-bombed the ground merely meters in front of them; the force causing a small crater below it and a gust of wind that sent the children flailing backwards. The monster seemed to have no eyes, only a mouth filled with uncountable, sharp teeth. Each stained a disgusting yellow colour.  
It's wings had an enormous wing-span that uncurled to their full length after the descent, flapping powerfully as the monster got to it's feet. Ripped, colourful clothing representing that of something out of a circus hung from around its neck, the only remaining evidence of any clothing it used to wear. Yet it's pitch-black body was barren; fur, feathers and scales mixing in with it's skin, skeletal thin limbs steadying themselves as it stood to it's full height.

                                                                                        

Yet, John and Jade had no time to take in these features before the beast was lunging at them with a beat of it's mighty wings. The two children screamed, dropping to the floor to escape the dive. Jade was vaguely aware of Dad, Jake and Jane screaming in return and calling their names, yet she knew that there was no way to get to them safely.  
A roar bordering on the sound of rippling thunder came from the creatures mouth, only to be cut of with a chair to the face.  
Dad had grabbed a chair from the nearest stall and thrown it as hard as he could. The blow was nothing compared to the strength of the beast, yet it did surprise it. The chair landed on top of Jade and John, and the monster seemed to forget about their presence as it dived for Dad. Snarling inhumanely as the older man scrambled over the counter of the stall to hide.  
Jake and Jade screamed for Jade and John to run towards them, tears burning in their eyes as pure adrenaline and fear gripped their hearts. John seemed unresponsive for the most part, yet with a harsh tug of his hood from Jade panic seemed to kick-start him, and soon the two children where running towards their siblings. The pitch-black monster distracted by Dad for the time being.

Almost as if they shared the same mind, Jake and Jade scooped up their respected sibling in almost perfect synchronisation. Jake grabbed Jade under a well-muscled arm, whilst Jade held John close to her chest and wrapped her arms tightly around his violently shaking body.  
Only being able to pray that Dad would be okay, Jake and Jane ran for their lives.  
Everybody else seemed to have fled this area of the fair already, yet it didn't take them long to spot a fleeing crowd that they ran towards. John looked up from where he'd buried his face in Jane's shoulder, eyes blurry with tears and stomach feeling like it was about to turn itself inside out. His body froze, eyes stuck on the winged monster. Screaming for himself to turn away as the monster's many teeth locked themselves into Dad's face and yanked him out from behind the stall. Paralysed in fear, wanting to turn and look away as his father was shaken like a ragdoll before his skull collapsed in on itself. And he was discarded on the ground like a toy that a child had grown tired of. His stomach flipped, and before he knew it he was emptying out his stomach onto the floor behind them as Jane ran, choked screams and sobs racking his throat through his vomit.  
Jake's eyes all but bulged in stress and adrenaline as they kept running, legs thundering against the grass as quickly as possible. He was aware of John throwing up, and squeezed his eyes tightly as they joined onto the back of a group of other fair-goers trying to escape. The pathes between stalls suddenly to crammed with people.  
The demon liked beast was only getting nearer; having finished with Dad and looking for new pray, it teared up the fair after them. Tents and stalls and vans destroyed, grass and earth torn up underneath its clawed talons.  
It was getting closer.

"This way!" A new voice shouted out throughout the fray, from an obviously ruffled blonde woman. The very same one who had been standing in the entrance of the fortune tellers tent. "In here!" She cried out, waving her hands to anybody who would listen, gesturing towards her lilac tent.  
Hearts beating through his chest, Jake nudged his shoulder against Jane's. Almost knocking her to her feet, yet enough to turn her course towards the lavish tent. The two teens ran as fast as they could towards the tent, the woman running toward them; and past them. Straight into the monsters path. With no time to learn of her outcome, they dived into the tent. Crashing to the floor and scrambling as far away from the entrance as they possibly could. They had no time to marvel at the internal decorations, instead diving under a heavy looking, wooden table. Breath coming in short puffs.  
Jane and Jake placed their siblings in the middle of them, pulling the decorated table-cloth lower to hide them from sight. Uncaring of the trinkets from the table that crashed to the floor with their actions- There was enough crashing and screaming to make up for it. Their breaths came to an uncomfortable silence, the screaming and terrorising still painfully loud outside. Sounds of people crying out and shouting and begging for their lives, accompanied by the beating of giant wings, snarls and stalls being destroyed.

Jane froze as she spotted a small gap in the tent entrance, a small window to the outside. She nudged Jake's arm, pointing towards it in mortified silence. Dark red blood splattered the grass that they could see, the liquid turned almost black by the darkening sky and lack of light. It seemed the monster had a distinct want to destroy anything bright.  
Rubble and destruction lay in their line of sight as well, and their hearts leapt in false alarm as something moving flashed across. A man in torn and muddy clothing running, as fast as he possibly could against the ground. Yet in a dark flash he was caught, claw tipped hands striking out against him and a writhing mass of teeth descending upon him.

Jane froze, before a choked sob escaped her throat.  
The monster paused, feathers ruffling in the slight breeze.  
It's head turned an inch towards their hiding place.

An ear-splitting howl and the crashing of a giant body through the fabric of their tent.  
Huge claws tearing away the heavy table without falter.  
Millions of teeth descending upon them.

Everything went black.


	4. Chapter 4: Welcome to the Warehouse District

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm not even going to attempt to apologize for how late this Chapter is! By at least way over a month : (   
> But I hope we can make up for it with the fact that as of posting this, Chap. 1,2 & 3 are illustrated! We where hoping to get this chapter illustrated before posting, yet we'd left it long enough!
> 
> Finally, we get a much closer glimpse into the world of Supernaturals, and in the next few chapters this glance will get even deeper! The Signless, Kankri and Karkat even show their faces!  
> Hope you enjoy! : D

Head spinning.  
  
A burning sensation.   


The feeling of vulnerability.   


Fear.

 

When Jake's eyes opened with a groggy groan, and that's exactly how he felt. Yet no words could describe the emotions he felt in the next several moments of realisation.

 

Memories shuddered across his mind in violent flashbacks, and everything came crawling back to him. No, not crawling. Charging. The plane journey, the airport, meeting up with his family, the fair- the Monster. He could only remember the pure, paralysing fear gripping his heart when he thought back to what happened. The demonic like creature tearing up the fair behind them as they ran for their lives- James, Mr. Crocker, Jane's father. Was he okay? Did he get hurt? The last thing Jake could remember was taking shelter in a hidden fortune teller's tent before their hiding spot was torn open by the blood-lusting beast. 

But- This wasn't the fair grounds. If anything, this was the further from it.

The night sky shone above him, speckled with stars like freckles on a galactic face. Some even blinking red and moving- Planes. Those where planes, he saw occasionally crossing their island in the dead of night. Gigantic city-scape buildings reached into the sky-line around them. Car horns blaring in the distance; the smell of rotten food drifting for a toppled over bin- or was it the nearby, rusted skip? 

His head spun with the strong smells, overwhelming strong. His hand went over to cover his nose, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to ignore them. Yet, he could smell other smells. He could smell... people? Scent trails, left by people who'd walked through this pathway before. People... Why was he smelling people?

He could never smell people before.

That wasn't even it- God how his ears ached. He could hear his own heart beating- The very blood rushing though his veins. He could hear the beating of crows wings who knows how far away, car horns, engines, tires, the distant scuttle of a rat searching for a morsel. 

Breathing, weak, hoarse breathing and slow pulses.

He turned to his side, frozen in his sensory overload in panic, to stare at where the breathing as coming from.

 

It was only then that Jake realized exactly where they were.

He and his cousins had been slumped down, unconscious on some random doorway. It seemed to be the back entrance to some flats, judging by the grimy alley in front of them and the rusted, broken looking fire-escape stairs climbing into the night sky above them. With blurred eyes, he looked down on himself. Suppressing a choked gurgle as he realized that he was shirtless. How hadn't he noticed? But... he wasn't cold at all. He couldn't even feel a breeze.

And a burning black mark had been seared onto his chest. It looked like a nasty burn, yet instead of being a burning red it was a pitch black colour. That didn't hurt either, not until he reached up to touch it. Yet the stinging pain was numb compared to the shock of staring at his hands. His fingers seemed swollen, thicker than usual. His palm felt rough, like a dogs paw. His nails had moved lower into his finger tip, pointing out in inch-long claws.

He fought a choked sob of utter fear, instead looking back down at the huge scar on his chest. It was round and seemed to have some sort of pentagram like shape in the centre, symbols that he couldn't understand at every point of the star. Just like something out of a horror movie that he'd watch and wouldn't be able to sleep in the dark after watching.

 

He felt so confused, so helpless and utterly lost with what to do. His body convulsed, with panic, fear and nausea; even more so when he looked up at Jane. She had collapsed over herself, hunched with her back to the wall. Thankfully, as Jake realised with widened eyes that she was lacking any shirt or bra as well- Leaving her chest exposed. The way she was hunched over fortunately covered her breasts from view, yet it didn't stop Jake from shielding his eyes. John and Jade where both lacking shirts as well, yet they where curled up in the corner of the door-way that the cousins sat in. Cuddled in close to eachother, clinging to one another like lifelines. 

He felt relieved that they where safe at the very least, until he saw a thin, black line peeking out from over the sleeping John's shoulder. Realizing with a sinking heart that the young boy too had one of the pentagram marks, seared into the back of his shoulder. 

 

"Jane?" Jake whispered, snapping his head back around to her. They had to find out what was happening to them and FAST. His ears hurt with how loud his voice was, but he had to wake her up somehow as he  sharply repeated her name as she stirred. The only sign of her acknowledging his voice being the faintest twitch of her ear- Wait, what?

Jake spluttered upon the realisation that Jane's ears had elongated wildly, thin and long like some elven creature. They fluttered like butterfly wings, seemingly on their own accord. Yet had ridges on the inside, similar to that of bat ears. This couldn't be right- This had to be some sort of fever dream, surely. The heightened senses, weird pentagram burns, elf ears. All hallucinations. Maybe he'd had too much to eat, and he would wake up and they could go to the fair and absolutely nothing bad would happen to them. Hell- Maybe he'd had some cotton candy that disagreed with him at the fair! Right?

 

"Jane!" He barked out again, reaching towards her to shake her awake rather roughly. Adrenaline and panic taking over- He just needed Jane to be awake. His cousin awoke with an inhumane yelp, recoiling away sharply from Jake's hands. Which he'd forgotten where now tipped with thick, sharp claws. The Adventurer was chilled yet mesmerised with how the beads of blood that popped up around the wound where a pitch black colour, yet the wound seemed to clear up within seconds. Like nothing was even there in the first place. 

 

Her yell rang through the quiet ally, painfully ringing in Jake's ears and he reached up to hold them. Freezing with a choked sound as he to realized that his ears where also misshapen and elven. That gave some closure on why he could hear so well, he thought sarcastically.  

"Jake? Jake what is going on?" Jane asked, an fearful yet confused expression on her face, similar to Jake when he first woke up. The adventurer shook his head, lost for words and only gestured at his own ears. Jane froze with surprise as she took in Jake's bat-like ears, before her hands reached up to feel her own. Face dropping. He didn't doubt that she was going through the exact same thought processes that he was.

"Your eyes- They're glowing." Jake whispered, and Jane frowned. Unsure whether that was a compliment or not- Until she took a closer look at Jake's eyes to realise that an almost neon green glow was radiating of them. Paired with a thin, slitted pupil like a cats eye. 

"What the hell has happened to you?" Jane breathed, her voice scratchy and hoarse, too many emotions and feelings and questions running through her head.

"What do you mean has happened to us?" Jake repeated, diverting Jane's eyes away from the burnt mark on his chest to gesture at John and Jade. Still asleep, yet the same, elf-bat-like ears propping out from under their hair. A small snaggletooth peaked out from under his sisters top lip. 

 

"We're monsters. Something out of video game or horror movie." Jake shuddered, unable to hold himself together any longer as he doubled over. Pulling his knees into his chest and squeezing himself tightly. Caring less about his image as he let his emotion drain through his tears. 

Jane watched out silently, still too shocked to convey any other emotion. 

"The fair. This has to have something to do with the fair. That Monster- Whatever the hell it was! I blame it on that beast. What the hell was that thing anyway?" Jane snarled, startled out of her rant by the sound coming out of her throat. A deep, guttural growl. Like the Rottweiler their neighbours had. She shrunk in on herself, staring out into the alleyway helplessly.

"I dont know what to do or where to start. I dont even know where we are! We need to get in contact with Dad- do you have a phone?" Jane asked frantically, patting herself down. Deflating almost instantly when she realized that her wallet and keys where gone, as was her phone. She looked up expectantly at Jake, who only shook his head in grief. 

 

"Jane? Janey? Whats wrong with Jake?" 

Jane jumped as John spoke slowly, Jade ever so slowly stirring awake at his side. Jane froze in place, having no idea what to say to the kids. Her mind wandering as she watched John's left ear, which seemed to twitch and flick like it had a mind of it's own. 

 

"Jakes just... a bit upset about the fair." Jane spoke eventually, and John drooped a little.

"Is he sad about Dad?" John asked, with a small sniffle, like he was struggling not to cry with Jake as well. Jane fixed him with a weird look, but before she could as her brother what he meant by that, Jade awoke with a disgusted squeal that made all three of them flinch at the loud noise. John's elbows tightening into his body and hands slapping over his ears. 

"John has ugly weird ears!" Jade gasped, pointing an accusing finger at the boy who was purposely not listening to her loud voice.

"Jade- Jade! Please calm- We all have weird ears." Jane started, shushing her as the young girl opened her mouth again. "We don't know how or why but we're going to figure it out, okay?" Making sure she didn't make any promises as she spook.

Have mercy on anybody who makes a promise that they cant keep to a five year old. 

 

"Everything will be okay." Jake chimed in, having calmed and now wiping his eyes with the palms of his hands. Taking extra caution to avoid the claws tipping his fingers. Jane shivered as Jake's cheeks where a flushed black, not red. Her hands tightened into fists, taking note of her own claws. 

This was hectic. This was far too much to take it. It made her head hurt. She just wanted to go home. Wanted everything to go back to normal.

 

"We have to go find somebody. Someone to help us." Jake decided eventually, after a long moment of silence. Jane nodded solemnly. 

"Do you know where we are, or where to ask?" She questioned, and Jake shook his head slowly. "Not a clue, but we have to start somewhere. If we can find a police station or perhaps a hotel- That'd be good." He decided, starting to get to his feet. Wobbling with a surprised grunt as his legs seemed to give in on him. 

"The fuck?" He breathed, looking down at his legs. Thankfully his trousers where intact, yet stretched and torn in some places. It didn't take a genius to tell that it wasn't just his... hands and face that had undergone some changes. 

"Goat legs. Goat legs, evil eyes, elf ears and pentagram burns- Devils. We're officially devils." Jake mused out loud as he inspected his legs. He hadn't grown any extra hair or hooves, but his legs where defiantly shaped like some goat-devil creature. His toes where arched and strange, with not a shoe in sight, not on any of them. Not like a shoe would be any use, since he didn't think his mutated feet would even fit. 

Under some examination, he realized the skin on his feet was the same, paw-pad like texture that was on the palm of his hand. And Jane confirmed that her legs had undergone the same transformation. Something strange however, neither John and Jade had disfigured legs. Completely normal and humanlike. Just another question to add to the bucketful. 

 

"Right- Help me up." Jane groaned, stretching her back and holding her hand out to Jake, who was holding onto the wall for stability with one hand and covering his eyes with the over.

"What?" She asked, in irritation. This was not the time for Jake to be pissing about.

"Your uh- Shirt. Lack of." He reminded her quickly, as Jade and John giggled quietly. In the rush of things, they'd hardly noticed. And by the looks of it, Jane hadn't noticed either. She gasped promptly, folding one arm over her breasts and pulling her curved legs up into her chest.

"Why did you say anything!?" The eldest Crocker barked angrily, and Jake managed to look back at her once she was covering herself up. "I though you knew! Plus this was the least of our worries!" He tried to defend himself, putting his hands up in defeat. His grandfather had taught him better than to argue with a woman. "I mean, didn't you notice? Weren't you cold or anything?" 

Jane furiously shook her head, face flushed a dark grey-black colour in her embarrassment. 

"NO! I can't feel anything. Its the middle of the night- But I don't feel cold at all!" She snapped, still defensive. Mainly due to the overall fear of their situation- and the embarrassment of what had just happened. 

"It's not night time, it's clear as day!" Jake rolled his eyes. Okay, never argue with a woman. But it was obviously daytime, his vision was crystal clear. He folded his arms smugly, yet his smug smirk was only broken when Jane gestured up at the sky. It was difficult to see with the bright lights polluting the sky and the gigantic buildings reaching up into the heavens. 

The faintest glimpse of some stars and a shining moon.

It was defiantly night time. 

 

"But that just doesn't make sense- I can see clear as day." Jake spluttered, and Jane through her head back against the brick wall of the flats doorway. "Night vision." She scoffed, semi-sarcastically. Jake rolled his eyes at her joke, yet it was the only thing that seemed to make sense. 

 

"Well, she isn't wrong."

The kids fell deathly silent, even Jade and John who had been giggling through the entirety of Jake and Jane's spat. Slowly, Jake turned to where the new voice had came from. 

A cloaked figure stood at the opening of the alley they had awoken in, silhouetted by the flickering street-lights behind him. Two smaller figures poked their heads around the corner of the brick walls, before moving to stand by the cloaked figure. One slightly smaller than the first, and the third hardly the size of a child. 

 

"Sorry for interrupting. We couldn't help but overhear your conversation and, well, it sounds like you're... somewhat new." 

The cloaked figure chuckled at the end, bringing his hands up to his hood and flicking it down, yet his face was still too obscured.

Jake stiffened, shuffling back towards the doorway on his wobbly, demonic legs. Jane shuffled back, pushing John and Jade behind her. John was more than happy to hide, yet Jade seemed far more interested in getting involved, sniffling wildly like some bloodhound.

 

"What gives you that impression!?" Jake stammered in response. He desperately wanted to ask them for help, but... He couldn't help but distrust the conveniently cloaked and silhouetted people. If he knew anything, ANYTHING, this was not a good sign of any sort. 

 

"Well, a Demon that doesn't know it can see in the dark is a pretty obvious give away." 

He laughed, a bit more hearty and approachable this time. He gestured for the two smaller people behind him to follow; making a strange sound with his mouth, and began to the approach the small group.

"I am The Signless. These are my sons, Kankri and Karkat." He began, holding his hand out in a friendly gesture. It took Jake some time to realize that it was a handshake, yet eventually reached forwards to grab The Signless's hand. Distracted by the... curious pigment of his skin. It was a mid-tone grey colour, with a slight warm-red tint. Long, yellowed nails and two stubby looking horns barley visible through the mop of his dark hair, in a red to yellow gradient. What on Earth was this creature? Yet considering the state on himself, Jake gathered he wasn't exactly one to judge.

"We belong to a Troll Community just on the south side of this here District. I'm guessing by how absolutely careless you're being right now, that you're an UnNatural right?" The Signless prompted, as Jake glanced over his shoulder to this... 'person's sons. He didn't know which one was Karkat or which one was Kankri, yet they all looked very much similar to eachother. Similar hair, skin, bright red eyes and almost identical horns.

One looked Jake and Janes age, and wore a bright red woollen jumper with fibre jutting out all over the place. It looked like it'd been hand knitted himself, with little experience. The child next to him had an even larger, scruffier mop of hair, and wore a matching red woollen jumper. Jake couldn't tear his eyes away from the odd arm-bands all three of them wore. A dark grey, with a lighter grey patterned on it of a sideway's '69' like symbol, reminding him eerily of a Nazi-Band. 

 

"T-Troll Community?" Jake echoed, roughly around the exact same time Jane echoed, "UnNatural?" Causing the eldest son of The Signless to sigh loudly, and rather obnoxiously. 

"Of course they're UnNatural. They haven't a clue what they're doing. We have to take them in ASAP, before they get taken out by the Red Mist." He noted, in a strange monotone yet sarcastic like voice, as if he thought himself greater than others. 

The Signless nodded solemnly. "Thank you Kankri," So the eldest son was Kankri. "We'll bring them back home with us. Dolorosa can help us patch them up, and we can fill them in on whats happening to them, I don't doubt that they're fresh turned. It would make sense with Jack Noir on the loose." Signless hummed, a faraway look in his eyes, as if he was in deep concentration or planning; before he turned his attention back to Jake and Jane, eyes shifting behind them as he finally seemed to notice John and Jade peering out from behind Jane. 

 

"Well, you lot. Welcome to the Warehouse District."

"You have a lot to learn."  

 


End file.
